Family Law Commons^™

Shared Parenting Laws: Mistakes Of Pooling?, Margaret F. Brinig

Journal Articles

In their recent paper “Anti-Herding Regulation,” forthcoming in the Harvard Business Review, Ian Ayres and Joshua Mitts argue that many well-intentioned public policy regulations potentially harm rather than help situations. That is, because they seek to pool — or herd — groups of people, treating them as equal, they miss or mask important differences among the regulated, thus magnifying systematic risk. Anti-herding regulation, on the other hand, can produce socially beneficial information, in their words steering “both private and public actors toward better evidence-based outcomes.” Left to their own, or with various carrot-and-stick incentives, some groups, anyway, would instead fare …

Uncovering The Reformation Roots Of American Marriage And Divorce Law, Judith C. Areen

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In 1639, Massachusetts Bay colonists pressed Governor John Winthrop to adopt a “body of laws” that would restrict the considerable power that “rested in the discretion of magistrates.” Having survived both the transatlantic voyage and the rigors of the new world in their quest to establish a religious utopia away from the demands of church and state in England, the colonists were understandably loath to give their local officials unchecked power. Winthrop offered several reasons why the leaders of the colony opposed the request: the colonists did not yet have enough experience to develop laws appropriate for their new circumstances, …

Child Welfare Practice: A Conversation About Reality, Kenneth Herrmann

Kenneth Herrmann

The author's fifty years of practice in social work and child welfare have resulted in this examination and critique of America's treatment of childhood. This advances a radical approach to ensuring the needs of children, an approach based in social justice and human rights.

Deprivative Recognition, Erez Aloni

Erez Aloni

Family law is now replete with proposals advocating for the legal recognition of nonmarital relationships: those between friends, relatives, unmarried intimate partners, and the like. The presumption underlying these proposals is that legal recognition is financially beneficial to partners. This assumption is sometimes wrong: Legal recognition of relationships can be harmful to unmarried partners--a reality whose impact on policy concerning regulation of nonmarital unions has not been explored. As this Article shows, a significant number of people benefit financially from nonrecognition of their relationships. While in most cases the state turns a blind eye to this financial gain, when it …

California Egg Toss - The High Costs Of Avoiding Unenforceable Surrogacy Contracts, Jennifer Jackson

Jennifer Jackson

In an emotionally charged decision regarding surrogacy contracts, it is important to recognize the ramifications, costs, and policy. There are advantages to both “gestational carrier surrogacy” contracts and “traditional surrogacy” contracts. However, this paper focuses on the differences between these contracts using case law. Specifically, this paper will focus on the implications of California case law regarding surrogacy contracts. Cases such as Johnson v. Calvert and In Re Marriage of Moschetta provide a clear distinction between these contracts. This distinction will show that while gestational carrier surrogacy contracts are more expensive, public policy and court opinions will provide certainty and …

Financial Freedom: Women, Money, And Domestic Abuse, Dana Harrington Conner

Dana Harrington Conner

No abstract provided.

The Exploratory Study Of Custody And Visitation Rights For Children In Same-Sex Families, Valencia Tamir Johnson Dr.

Dr. Valencia T Johnson, PhD, EdD, Hon. D.Div, LLM, MS, BS

In today’s society, same-sex marriages are being legalize in some states with certain stipulations and statutory requirements in respected states. Since there are more states legalizing same-sex marriages, the courts are facing tougher challenges in Family Law that pertains to the Custody and Visitation Rights for Children in Same-Sex Families. Due to the lack of legal and judicial interpretation of statutory laws in the Custody and Visitation Rights for Children in Same-Sex Families, further research need to be explored. In addition, the article addresses the legal and judicial authority of interpreting the law in various states. The article provide a …

Matrimonio Civil Y Matrimonio Natural, Jorge Adame Goddard

Jorge Adame Goddard

Crítica del matrimonio civil como obra del legislador, y propuesta de un concepto realista de matrimonio de acuerdo con la dignidad y la naturaleza humana.

Recensión: Tratado De Derecho De Familia, Enrique Varsi Dr., Carlos Ramos Nuñez

Enrique Varsi Rospigliosi

No abstract provided.

Deprivative Recognition, Erez L. Aloni

Erez Aloni

Family law is now replete with proposals advocating for the legal recognition of nonmarital relationships: those between friends, relatives, unmarried intimate partners, and the like. The presumption underlying these proposals is that legal recognition is financially beneficial to partners. This assumption is sometimes wrong: Legal recognition of relationships can be harmful to unmarried partners--a reality whose impact on policy concerning regulation of nonmarital unions has not been explored. As this Article shows, a significant number of people benefit financially from nonrecognition of their relationships. While in most cases the state turns a blind eye to this financial gain, when it …

California Putative Spouses: The Innocent, The Guilty, And The Law, Helen Y. Chang

Helen Y Chang

The purpose of this article is to examine the historical roots of the putative spouse doctrine and its implementation into California’s family and community property system. Although California has historically recognized the putative spouse doctrine to save otherwise void or voidable marriages, California’s actual application of the doctrine has been piecemeal with a resulting patchwork of inconsistent statutes and judicial decisions. For example, a putative spouse is a “surviving spouse” under California’s Probate Code for purposes of intestate succession but a putative spouse is not a “surviving spouse” under the same Code for purposes of a family allowance during estate …

4. American Professional Society On The Abuse Of Children In Support Of Petitioner, Ohio V. Clark (Petition For Cert.), Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

No abstract provided.

The Quickly--Evolving Tax Filing Status For Same-Gender Couples, John Treu

John S. Treu

Discusses the evolving law regarding federal income tax filing status for same-gender couples.

From Sex For Pleasure To Sex For Parenthood: How The Law Manufactures Mothers, Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

As soon as sperm enter a woman, so do law and politics, or so the decades-long disputes surrounding abortion suggest. Now, however, renewed debates surrounding contraceptives show legal and political interference with women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy may actually precede the sperm. This Article argues that, increasingly, women even thinking about having sex are defined socially and legally as “mothers.” Via this broad definition of who is a “mother,” the State extends its reach into women’s decision-making throughout their reproductive lifetime.

This Article argues that the State simultaneously devalues women’s choices to have sex for pleasure, which this Article calls …

Institutionalized Silence: The Problem Of Child Voicelessness In Divorce Proceedings, Brandon Sadowsky

Brandon Sadowsky

In this paper, I present the current state of child representation in divorce proceedings. I argue that children should be represented in all divorce proceedings. I then consider the best interest and client-directed models of child representation and argue that each model is supported by important intuitions: paternalism and autonomy, respectively. I try to formulate a hybrid model that satisfies both of these intuitions.

The Battle Over The Embryo: How West Virginia Should Legally Define The Embryo And Regulate Embryo Adoption, Alyssa Lechmanik

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Domestic Relations, Barry B. Mcgough, Elinor H. Hitt

Mercer Law Review

This Article addresses significant case law that arose during the survey period. There were no statutory changes specific to domestic relations during this period, though substantial changes were made to the evidence code.

Artificial Reproductive Techniques And The Protection Of The Kinship System, Scott Fitzgibbon

Scott T. FitzGibbon

No abstract provided.

12. Interviewing Victims And Suspected Victims Who Are Reluctant To Talk., Irit Irit Hershkowitz, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

"The Good Mother": Mothering, Feminism, And Incarceration, Deseriee A. Kennedy

Deseriee A. Kennedy

As the rates of incarceration continue to rise, women are increasingly subject to draconian criminal justice and child welfare policies that frequently result in the loss of their parental rights. The intersection of an increasingly carceral state and federally imposed time-lines for achieving permanency for children in state care has had a negative effect on women, their children, and their communities. Women, and their ability to parent, are more adversely affected by the intersection of these gender-neutral provisions because they are more likely than men to be the primary caretaker of their children. In addition, incarcerated women have higher rates …